How to Fix 404 Errors on Any Website: The Definitive Guide for SEO Professionals

As SEO professionals, you're constantly striving to deliver the best results for your clients or projects. But lurking in the shadows of even the best-designed websites are 404 errors — silent SEO killers. These errors can damage user trust, waste crawl budgets, and dilute the value of your SEO efforts.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore:

• What 404 errors are and why they occur.
• How they impact SEO and your business.
• Proven solutions for WordPress and custom-coded websites.
• Real-world examples of troubleshooting 404 errors.
• Proactive strategies to prevent 404 errors.

What Are 404 Errors and Why Do They Matter?

A 404 error is the HTTP response code indicating that the requested page could not be found on the server. It’s a message from the server to the browser, essentially saying, “The page you’re looking for doesn’t exist here anymore.”

Why Do 404 Errors Happen?

404 errors can occur due to several reasons, including:

• Page Deletions: When pages are removed without setting up proper redirects.
• Broken Links: Both internal and external links pointing to non-existent pages.
• Incorrect URLs: Mistyped URLs by users or incorrectly formatted links.
• Website Migrations: Failing to redirect old URLs to new ones during a site redesign or migration.
• Server Issues: Problems with the server configuration, such as missing files or misconfigured paths.

The Impact of 404 Errors on SEO

1. Lost Traffic

When users encounter 404 errors, they’re more likely to leave the site, increasing your bounce rate.

2. Decreased Search Rankings

Search engines interpret frequent 404 errors as signs of a poorly maintained website, which can result in ranking penalties.

3. Link Equity Wastage

If backlinks direct users to non-existent pages, the link equity — the SEO value those links provide — is lost.

4. User Experience (UX) Issues

A frustrating user experience from frequent 404 errors diminishes trust in the brand, leading to reduced engagement and conversions.

5. Wasted Crawl Budget

Search engines allocate a crawl budget to each website. If bots spend time crawling invalid URLs, they might miss indexing important pages.

How to Identify 404 Errors

Before fixing 404 errors, you need to identify them. Here are some tools and methods:

1. Google Search Console

Navigate to the Coverage section to find URLs returning 404 errors.

2. Screaming Frog SEO Spider

This tool crawls your website to identify broken links, missing pages, and other errors.

3. Site Analytics

Analyze user behavior in tools like Google Analytics to spot 404 errors encountered during user sessions.

4. SEO Plugins

WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All-in-One SEO Pack often include error detection capabilities.

Fixing 404 Errors: Solutions for WordPress Websites

Step 1: Identify Broken URLs

Use tools like Redirection or Broken Link Checker plugins to detect and log URLs causing 404 errors.

Step 2: Implement 301 Redirects

301 redirects are essential to preserve link equity. Use plugins like Rank Math SEO or Redirection to easily redirect old URLs to new ones.

Step 3: Repair Internal Links

Scan for broken internal links and update them to point to valid pages.

Step 4: Reset Permalinks

Visit Settings > Permalinks and click “Save Changes” to reset the permalink structure, which can fix some server-side issues.

Step 5: Design a Custom 404 Page

Make your 404 page user-friendly by including:

• A search bar.
• Navigation links to popular sections.
• A message apologizing for the inconvenience.

Fixing 404 Errors: Solutions for Custom-Coded Websites

Step 1: Audit Your Site

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Screaming Frog to identify problematic URLs.

Step 2: Add Redirects Manually

For Apache servers, modify the .htaccess file to include:

bash

Copy code

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page??

For Nginx servers, use:

javascript

Copy code

rewrite ^/old-page$ /new-page permanent;??

Step 3: Update Links

Fix all broken internal and external links by pointing them to the correct URLs.

Step 4: Build a Helpful 404 Page

Engage users by offering alternative actions such as navigating to your blog or homepage.

Proactive Strategies to Avoid 404 Errors

1. Regularly Audit Your Website

Schedule monthly or quarterly audits to identify and fix broken links.

2. Maintain Your Sitemap

Update your sitemap whenever you add, remove, or modify pages and submit it to Google Search Console.

3. Monitor Backlinks

Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to monitor backlinks and ensure they point to valid pages.

4. Educate Your Team

Ensure developers and content creators understand the importance of setting up redirects when removing or renaming pages.

Real-Life Example: Fixing 404 Errors for an E-Commerce Site

A leading fashion retailer saw a 30% drop in traffic after migrating to a new domain. Hundreds of product pages returned 404 errors, frustrating users and wasting valuable backlinks.

Steps Taken:

1. Identified all broken URLs using Google Search Console.
2. Redirected each old URL to its new equivalent using a 301 redirect.
3. Updated their XML sitemap and resubmitted it to search engines.
4. Designed an engaging custom 404 page to retain visitors who encountered errors.

Results:

• Traffic recovered within six weeks.
• Backlink equity preserved, maintaining their SEO authority.

Key Takeaways for SEO Professionals

• Be proactive: Regular audits are essential to stay ahead of issues.
• Focus on redirects: A simple 301 redirect can save your SEO performance.
• Never ignore 404 errors: They’re not just technical glitches — they impact user trust and rankings.

For WordPress or custom-coded sites, addressing 404 errors is a must for maintaining both user experience and search engine visibility.